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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25807747">Heartbeat</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Welpie/pseuds/Welpie'>Welpie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kagerou Project, Mekakucity Actors</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Tragedy, Can be seen as platonic or romantic but is up to reader, FFN repost, FFN repost but rewritten, Gen, Rated Teen due to the canon character death, Tags Contain Spoilers, Tragedy, canon character death, happy early kagerou day lol</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 11:14:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,971</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25807747</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Welpie/pseuds/Welpie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Everything will be alright.”  Haruka was sure of that. He only had to find Takane.</p>
<p>His heart pounded loudly in his chest.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Enomoto Takane | Ene &amp; Kokonose Haruka | Konoha, Enomoto Takane | Ene/Kokonose Haruka | Konoha</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Heartbeat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a rewrite of the one-shot under the same name on my old FFN account. (Feel free to compare them.)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Haruka rubbed at his eyes. The classroom in front of him swirled and deformed into wide blurred shapes. A sharp pain shot through his head. The teen closed his eyes. Had he drunk enough water? No, surely it was something else. He stifled a yawn. Oh…. a yawn. A yawn? That was strange. But, strangely relieving.</p>
<p>A nap was all what he needed. Such a simple solution. A quick nap before the teacher arrived would be fine…</p><hr/>
<p>A voice entered his dream… it sounded so familiar. Yet, Haruka only heard fragments and pieces of a sentence. He strained his ears to focus on the sound itself. The voice… it became louder.</p>
<p>His brain felt all fogged up, but a moment of clarity shot straight through the fog.</p>
<p>
  <em>‘Takane?’</em>
</p>
<p>The loudness of the voice increased. It almost seemed frantic. A pain shot through him. Was Takane yelling in his ears?</p>
<p>Haruka wanted to respond to her. He could explain the situation and they would have a laugh about it.</p>
<p>However, his body refused to move. His eyes decides to stay completely shut. Without any response from him she would surely- The voice became quiet and loud footsteps followed. Haruka was sure this was all real. His dreams were always about food.</p>
<p>He had… to keep trying. He urged all the energy he had left in his body to be used. To be used to open his eyes. The only thing he managed was a sharp intake of air. Panic began to swell in his chest.</p>
<p>
  <em>The last time his body refused to move he ended up in the hospital. </em>
</p>
<p>He… had taken his medication, hadn’t he? With his heart it would be a fatal mistake to skip even one dose. The doctors were insistent about that. The panic in his chest rose.</p>
<p>
  <em>Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum. </em>
</p>
<p>His heart pounded loudly in his chest. A bit too loudly. He couldn’t collapse in here! He had to make sure Takane was okay… Redirecting his energy to calming down he thought about what Mister Tateyama once told him. To use his imagination. Normally one would use their hands to bring their imagination to life with art. Perhaps he could do the same for his body; use the power of imagination to make himself believe he was okay.</p>
<p>
  <em>Ba-dum, ba-dum.</em>
</p>
<p>The light flooded his eyes; temporarily blinding him. That was okay. Haruka had always liked the orange colours of the sky in the late afternoon. He stretched out his hand as if to grab the light. His eyes started adjusting and the clouds became visible. Clouds were fascinating and fun to draw.</p>
<p>Hey, he should ask Takane to go watch the sky with him! To make up for this. He could draw her as well. A smile made it way on his face. He felt hope fill his chest.</p>
<p>
  <em>Ba-dum, ba-dum.</em>
</p>
<p>No time to waste! He put both of his hands down on his desk to slowly push himself up. His vision blurred. He shut his eyes in response. He took in a deep breath and re-opened his eyes. He was doing fine. No issues here.</p>
<p>Haruka let go of the desk. He wobbled on his feet, but he regained his balance in time. With the speed of the wind he put his sketchbook in his bag. He lifted his bag while gritting his teeth. Finally, after a bit of effort, he had the bag on his shoulders. He held it tightly with one hand.</p>
<p>He allowed himself a sigh of relief. No serious attack this time, thankfully. He glanced down at the state of his uniform and noticed something. He was holding his uniform tightly at the place of his heart. He slowly lowered his hand.</p>
<p>
  <em>Ba-dum, ba-dum.</em>
</p>
<p>He cast one quick glance towards the window. A murder of crows flew across the orange sky. Ah, they had been in this classroom quite late, hadn’t they? His eyes rested on the other desk on the classroom.</p>
<p>Takane’s desk. Her bag was still on there. The contents were scattered all over the desk.</p>
<p>…he had no time to waste. He had to find her. For reasons he was unable to explain it felt urgent.</p>
<p>
  <em>Ba-dum, ba-dum.</em>
</p>
<p> He set a step forward, but heard a crack. He looked down and gasped. To his horror, it were Takane’s headphones. Despite his shaky body he managed to pick it up and put it down on her desk. His hands kept shaking.</p>
<p>
  <em>Ba-dum, ba-dum.</em>
</p>
<p>“I will find her, apologize, re-assure her and then we both go home. I will take an extra dose of my pills to be sure,” Haruka re-assured himself. He managed a shaky smile. “Everything will be alright.”</p>
<p>Haruka made his way to the door and put his hand on the handle. The time it took him to reach it felt like ages. He opened the door as fast as he could and stepped into the hallway.</p>
<p>He turned to his left (was it the <em>right</em> way?) and continued walking.</p>
<p>Halfway through the hall he needed to stand still and lean against the wall. He needed a moment to recover. He had to take the extra dosage soon. One look in his bag told him the emergency bottle was empty. Great. He shook his head, while keeping up a small smile, and continued marching on.</p>
<p>
  <em>Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.</em>
</p>
<p>The panic in his chest began to resurface the closer he got to the end of the hall. The corner. It wasn’t the feeling he had when he had one of his attacks, but it made him feel uneasy nonetheless.</p>
<p>He braced himself and rounded the corner.</p>
<p>
  <em>Ba-dum ba-</em>
</p>
<p>His heart stopped at the sight in front of him. His bag fell on the floor. In disbelief he stared wide-eyed at the sight in front of him.</p>
<p>His body shook even more than before, but he had to move. He willed his feet to step forward, but his feet felt so heavy.</p>
<p>Haruka stopped and fell on his knees.</p>
<p>“Hey, Takane,” he began; his voice breaking. He reached out to feel her wrist. She was still warm…</p>
<p>He gently shook her shoulders. She didn’t respond. His hands shook, but he attempted to try pushing on her chest.</p>
<p>
  <em>…what were you supposed to do?</em>
</p>
<p>“Come on, come on,” he whispered with his trembling hands. It was to no avail.</p>
<p><em>Nothing happened. </em>His blood went cold.</p>
<p>He refused to believe it, but her complete lack of pulse spoke volumes.</p>
<p>“No,” he mumbled.</p>
<p>Takane’s body laid on the floor; bend in an odd angle.</p>
<p>“No,” he repeated.</p>
<p>Her black pigtails draped over her shoulder lacked the shine and bouncing movements of Takane when she talked. Her hair was dull and unmoving.</p>
<p>“No,” he said.</p>
<p>There was a small wound on her arm. The size of a needle.</p>
<p>“No,” he said once more, volume rising.</p>
<p>What sent Haruka over the edge was her expression. Wide-open eyes full of fear. Completely unlike the expressions she showed him.</p>
<p>“NO!” he shouted and hiccupped. His breathing quickened and it felt like his heart was about to burst out of his chest.</p>
<p>His vision blurred. It made him unable to see her, but that also meant he wouldn’t have to see the dullness in her eyes. It felt so <em>wrong</em>.</p>
<p>“T-Takane, wake up please,” he pleaded. Tears began to fall.</p>
<p>
  <em>Nothing happened. </em>
</p>
<p>“L-Let’s go home! Watch the clouds and play Dead Bullet!” he suggested. Despite his blurred vision he grabbed her hand. And held on. “You like that game, d-don’t you?”</p>
<p>
  <em>Nothing happened.</em>
</p>
<p>He attempted a smile. “I-I’m sorry for breaking your headphones,” he whimpered. “Takane, please…”</p>
<p>Of course <em>nothing happened</em>. Haruka wanted to ignore it, but he couldn’t anymore. The warmth of her hand was rapidly disappearing. Along with her warmth being lost it was like his own warmth was taken with her. A piece of himself was lost.</p>
<p>Haruka looked up and screamed.</p>
<p>Never again will they walk home together. Their entire daily routine disappeared from his grasp. No more games, no more dinner at her place, no more walking to school together.</p>
<p>No more… drawing Takane. He’d never be able to see her rare smiles again.</p>
<p>The least he could do was never forgetting those precious moments they spent together. Never let go of them.</p>
<p>He let go of her hand. His own hand immediately clutched his chest. He was gasping from air. His heart was going crazy from the grief.</p>
<p>Haruka curled up into himself and let himself go. He bawled. He lost his first friend. His best friend.</p>
<p>
  <em>If only his body wasn’t so weak he could’ve saved her..! </em>
</p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” he whimpered. “I’m so, so sorry…”</p>
<p>As if she was there he imagined Takane calling him an idiot. She wouldn’t have liked the apology and would've scolded him instead. Ah, he was acting really odd, wasn’t he?</p>
<p>The corners of his mouth turned up into a small smile.</p>
<p>Haruka lifted his head. He moved one hand to wipe his tears. The other hand kept clutching his chest.</p>
<p>“Takane wouldn’t want me to cry,” he declared.</p>
<p>Blaming himself wouldn’t do anything. If anything she would have yelled at him for it. Ah, he loved the time he spent with her. (Oh, his thoughts were going in circles now…)</p>
<p>He was happy every second they spent together. The only other thing he might regret was the one thing he was never able to tell her. He didn’t want to risk their friendship.</p>
<p>“Takane, thank you for everything,” he whispered and took in a shaky breath. “Takane, I-”</p>
<p>“You what? Kokonose, what are you doing <em>here</em>?”</p>
<p>Haruka’s smile fell. He slowly looked to the side. He attempted to regain a smile the moment he saw who the voice belonged to.</p>
<p>“Mister Tateyama,” he said.</p>
<p>Yet, it didn’t feel like him. It was strange. His eyes were a menacing red and the teacher sported a grin. Why was he…?</p>
<p>No, he had no rights to think of that. Mister Tateyama was their teacher.</p>
<p>“You have to leave,” the teacher commanded.</p>
<p>Haruka froze in shock.</p>
<p>“Answer me.”</p>
<p>Haruka shook his head. “I won’t leave Takane!”</p>
<p>He never imagined going against his teacher, but he had no other choice. Despite everything there was a small glimmer of hope. If only he could get her to the hospital… or call an ambulance…</p>
<p>Haruka was snapped out of his thoughts by the teacher’s voice. Mister Tateyama was holding his bag and was gazing into it. “Your medication has run out and your breathing is unsteady.” He turned to face Haruka once more and tossed the bag aside. “You have to go to the hospital.”</p>
<p>“Only if Takane comes with!” he declared. Frustration built up inside him. He couldn’t leave Takane behind! The teacher didn’t even spare her a glance!</p>
<p>“That, I can’t do.” Mister Tateyama grabbed Haruka’s arms and before the teen could react he yanked him up. He began to drag the boy away. From her.</p>
<p>“Please, stop!” Haruka struggled. He coughed violently. All the time his gaze was fixed on Takane’s body. He fought all he could to get back, but the teacher’s grip was too strong. His body was once again <em>weak</em>.</p>
<p>New tears fell.</p>
<p>“This is for your own good,” Mister Tateyama replied. Haruka couldn’t twist to see his face, but the tone told him enough. His voice sounded so uncaring. So distant.</p>
<p>
  <em>Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.</em>
</p>
<p>His chest hurt so much. The pain was even worse than all the times before. Haruka worked up his last strength and <em>pushed</em>.</p>
<p>Momentarily stunned, the teacher’s grasp weakened.</p>
<p>Haruka ran with all of his remaining strength. He kept running.</p>
<p>Grief consumed the boy once again, but fear enveloped him as well.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Haruka’s last thought was of Takane before his world was plunged into darkness.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Perhaps in this Takane becomes an android and Haruka the virus. Due to her dying first. </p>
<p>I wanted to save posting this for Kagerou day, but I may actually finish my long 5K+ post-summertimerecord oneshot before that so I'd rather post 100% new content then... (and before Jin says something that completely destroys the headcanons I've intertwined in it)</p>
<p> happy early kagerou day y'all</p></blockquote></div></div>
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